Radio frequency (RF) wireless communication systems are known to include a plurality of end user devices (e.g., radios, cellular telephones, fixed wireless telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDA's), et cetera), a plurality of base stations, and at least one central site. As is also known, the base stations are located throughout a given geographic area to provide wireless coverage for the geographic area. Each base station using a set of carrier frequencies to support wireless communications, where the total number of carrier frequencies is distributed among the base stations in a cell pattern to prevent interference.
As is further known, each end user device may be affiliated with a particular base station or roam from base station to base station. To communicate with end user devices, each base station transmits control information over a wireless control channel via an antenna. The control information identifies end user devices that are targets of wireless communications, identifies wireless working channel that supports the wireless communications, etc. Each end user device within the coverage area of the base station receives and processes the control information to determine whether it is one of the targeted end user devices. If the end user device is a target, it switches to the assigned wireless working channel to participate in the wireless communication.
The end user devices also use the control channel to initiation a wireless communication. Accordingly, the end user device transmits, via the wireless control channel, a request for a communication to the base station. The request includes a request for a wireless working channel, the identity of the requesting end user device, and the identity of the target end user device or devices. The base station processes the request by determining whether a wireless working channel is available and whether the target end user device(s) is within the coverage area of the base station. If so, the base station fulfills the request. If the target end user device is not within the coverage area of the base station, the base station forwards the request to the central site, which processes the request to identify the target end user device's location and forwards the request to the base station servicing that location. If a wireless working channel is not available, the request is denied.
The coverage area of a wireless communication system may vary from a single room within a home or office building to the entire globe. Regardless of the size of the coverage area, each end user device and base station includes a radio frequency transceiver and processing circuitry. The RF transceiver provides wireless connectivity between the end users and the base stations. The processing circuitry processes communications in accordance with the type of wireless protocol being used within the system. For instance, the processing circuitry may perform code division multiplexing access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), et cetera.
To help reduce costs and increase performance, many companies have developed RF applications specific integrated circuits (ASIC) that increase data throughput, provide transceiver functionality, provide receiver functionality, and/or provide more effective antenna utilization. While such ASICs reduce costs and increase performance of RF communications, the design and manufacture of such ASICs lag the ever-increasing demand for better performance and/or greater flexibility in RF circuitry.
Therefore, a need exists for an RF communication system that can meet the ever-increasing demands for performance and/or flexibility.